Harry Potter and the Song of the Mermaid
by thepaxilfairy
Summary: It's Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts. A new class, a new teacher, same old Snape. But there's something very mysterious about this new teacher, and the golden trio is determined to find out just what it is. All chapters reposted.
1. Harry's Discovery

[A.N~ I do not own Harry Potter. He and anything to do with him belong to J.K. Rowling. However...I do own one character in this story...you shall meet her very soon. I hope you like it...please review.]   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter And the Song of the Mermaid  
  
Harry looked up at the ceiling of his room as he lay on his bed. Below him was the usual hustle and bustle that he was left out of whenever there was company over for dinner. On occasion, Hedwig would flutter to the window, give a small hoot to alert Harry that she was safe, and fly off again. Down below he heard the shrill, fake laugh of his aunt. Harry groaned. When company was around, the Dursleys' were as real as their love for Harry, and they had no love for Harry what so ever.  
  
Harry heard another flutter at his window, and Hedwig flew in carrying two envelopes. He could tell the one was from Hogwarts, since it had the Hogwarts crest. He opened the envelope, knowing what was in it. There was a not from Professor McGonagall, and a list of various books he needed for his classes.  
  
The second letter was from Ron, to see if Harry was still going to stay with him. Harry groaned. He hadn't even asked his uncle yet.  
  
Harry sighed as he looked at his clock. It was six o'clock. His uncle Vernon told him that the dinner was ending around eight o'clock. Harry had two hours to kill. Feeling mischievous, he did something he would have never thought he would do. Very carefully, Harry crept out of his room and down the hall to his aunt and uncles room. He thanked God that the floor didn't creak below him. When he reached the room, the door was open a crack. Praying that it wouldn't creak, Harry opened the door and crept into the room. There wasn't much in the room. In the centre on the back was a queen-size bed. On either side of the bed was a small table with a lamp. On the far left was wall was a window facing the front yard. Across from that on the right wall was a walk in closet. Silently, Harry crept over to the door and carefully opened it. He looked in and saw hangers full of cloths. Walking over to the back of the closet, he opened the small drawers one after another, peeing inside each. Cloths, cloths and more cloths. Harry knew that he shouldn't have been disappointed that he didn't find anything, but never the less, he was. Sighing, he made sure that everything was left the way he left it, and silently left the closet. When he closed the door, Harry turned around and got a big surprise. Tucked into a small cubby-hole next to the door, was a large, brown, mahogany roll desk. Harry was surprised that he hadn't seen it before. Curiously, he walked over and opened it. The front part rolled back smoothly to reveal a desk full of paper and photos. Harry must have spent an hour looking through all the pictures and notes, being sure to put everything the way he found it. He was putting a pile of papers back, when a small rectangle piece of paper fell to the floor. Bending over to pick it up, Harry flipped it over to see that it was a birth certificate. The name on it read `D. Dursley'. Thinking it was Dudley's, Harry was about to put it back when he noticed something odd about the tiny piece of paper.  
  
Harry stared at the birth certificate, unbelieving to what he was seeing. While the initials were the same was Dudley's, the birth date was not. The birth date on the certificate was dated five years before Dudley was even born. Upon further inspection, Harry discovered that the birth certificate could never have been Dudley's. Instead oh having an `M' being next to the gender information, there was an `F'. Harry was positive that there was something strange going on here. Still looking at the piece of paper, he closed the roll desk and made his way back to his room. Sitting on his bed, Harry stared at the certificate. If that little piece of paper was correct, he had another cousin ... a girl cousin. But, where was she? Did she even exist? Puzzled and confused, Harry put the piece of paper in his trunk (which surprisingly enough, wasn't locked in the cupboard under the stairs) pulled out a book and started reading. Not even two minutes after that, Harry heard the all too familiar steps of his uncle coming up the stairs. He tried to concentrate on his book, but the persistence of the heavy footsteps was un-nerving. Moments later, the bedroom door opened, showing Harry's' gruff looking uncle.  
  
"Have you left this room at all?" He asked, an accusing tone in his voice. Harry shook his head.   
  
"No sir. I've been in here the whole time reading." He said, holding up the book for his uncle to see. His uncle glared at him for a moment, then left, closing the door hardly. Harry sighed. He looked at his book for a moment, not really wanting to read it anymore. Placing the book and his glasses on the end table, and laid back in his bed. He lay there, blankly staring at the ceiling, his eyes starting to droop. Once more, Harry thought about the strange birth certificate, and fell asleep.   
  
In front of him was a little girl, she looked about five years old. She had short, very blond, curly hair matted to her small head. She had big, clear blue eyes surrounded by a fringe of black eyelashes. She was sitting in the middle of a familiar room surrounded by toys. The door opened, and in walked two people that looked like her parents, but Harry couldn't see their faces. It was obvious that the mother was pregnant.  
  
"Mommy, look what I can do." The little girl said, pointing to her crayons in front of her. "Float crayons." She said. To Harry's surprise, the crayons floated. The little girl smiled up at her parents. Then the dream changed scenes. Harry saw the little girl, but it was where she was that chilled him to the bone. The little girl was in a dark, damp, dingy room. Her face was smudged with dirt and tears, as she sat huddled in a corner dressed in rags and bare feet. She was crying out for her mother. The only light in the room came from a small window in the door.  
  
"Mommy? Where are you mommy? I'm scared, it's too dark." The little girl cried, wiping her arm over her eyes. Just then the door opened and the room flooded with light. "Mommy?" She whimpered. A figure in red robes walked forward and picked her up.  
  
"Don't worry child." A man said. He sounded so familiar. "Everything will be alright. You don't have to be scared anymore."  
  
Harry woke up with the light shining in his window. He reached over and put his glasses on. Climbing out of bed, he got dressed. Moments later he realized what day it was. Sighing, Harry looked out the window. It was his birthday.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[Well...there's chapter 1 again. As said in my little note, I'm gonna be changing things around a little. Basically I'm changing it from Harry's 4th year to his 6th year. Anywho...please review. Thanx a lot.] 


	2. The New Neighbour

[AN~ I don't own HP. Here is the second chapter. There have been a couple small changes in this chapter from the last time I posted it. Like I said before...fic now takes place in sixth year. Anywho...here you go. Hope you like.]  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter And the Song of the Mermaid  
  
Harry saw at the breakfast table ignoring the fact that his uncle and aunt hadn't mentioned his birthday. He didn't care anyway. He knew that Ron, Hagrid and Hermione wouldn't forget his fourteenth birthday.  
  
Harry's Aunt Petunia (a rather nosy lady) was telling her husband the latest gossip she'd heard from a lady friend in the neighbourhood.  
  
"The Loxley's are moving in a couple days. Mr. Loxley got a job transfer." She said as she handed out breakfast. Harry, of course, got his last and got the smallest portion.  
  
"Really then?" Uncle Vernon asked, turning a page of his newspaper. "Where's ol' Georgie-boy being sent?"  
  
"America. Apparently he got a big promotion. He's going to be paid double his salary when he gets there." Aunt Petunia said as she sat down.  
  
At that point in time Uncle Vernon was taking a sip of coffee, which he immediately spat out. "Double his salary." He cried, then regained his composure and looked back at his paper. "Money like that is wasted on the wrong people." He muttered.  
  
"Anyway," Aunt Petunia carried on, taking a sip of tea, "Victoria as told me that she and George have already sold the house. She said, `The house was only up for sale for about a day when she real estate agent calls to inform us that we have a buyer.' I looked at her. I thought she was kidding. She then told me she was going to be meeting the buyer..."  
  
"Who is the buyer mummy? Do they have kids?" Dudley asked as she gobbled down a plate of bacon.  
  
Aunt Petunia smiled and reached over to pinch Dudley's fat cheek. "I was just getting to that part Dudders dear." She said, and continued her story. "Victoria came to me after she had met the buyer. `Petunia,' she said, `You wouldn't believe it if I told you. I went to the office and there was this girl there. Prettiest thing I've ever seen. Long, beautiful, blonde hair. The brightest green eyes I've ever seen. I swear, she must have been just twenty-one.'"   
  
Harry sat silently listening to the story of the mysterious girl who was going to be moving into the Loxley house. Dudley, on the other hand, started moaning and complaining about wanting new playmates.  
  
Tuning out Dudley's droning, Harry concentrated on his aunts' story. Apparently, the girls' name was Dannie Deauveaux ("Whoever would name a girl Dannie? Must be short for something." said Aunt Petunia). She was a famous and extremely talented ballet dancer, but was taking a break from dancing to take on a teaching job at some secluded private school up North.  
  
"You would not believe the look on Victoria's face after she asked the girl how she was going to pay for the house. She looked at Victoria, smiled, and then reached into her handbag and pulled out a stack of bills. She paid for the house, in full, right then and there. `Petunia, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen' she said."  
  
"Well, how about this," Uncle Vernon said, folding up his paper and leaning back in his chair. "When the girl gets settled, you can cook her a wonderful `Welcome to the neighbourhood' feast."  
  
Aunt Petunia looked at her husband a moment, then nodded curtly. "I'm sure that would be a great idea." She said as she finished her tea.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A couple days passed. Harry got an owl from Ron, and it was the day they Loxley's were to move. From the top of the stairs, Harry saw his aunt as she cried and hugged Mrs. Loxley. Uncle Vernon shook Mr. Loxley's hand and patted his back.  
  
"Give me a ring when she get settled." he told Mr. Loxley. Moments later the Loxley's were in their car driving up the street, followed by a huge moving van.  
  
Harry looked at his aunt and uncle to see that they were already acting as if the Loxley's had never left. Aunt Petunia hurried off to the kitchen to plan for the dinner she was going to cook for the new neighbour. Uncle Vernon went back into the living room to read his newspaper. Harry took this as the best (and possibly only) time to ask his uncle about going to the Weasley's. He quietly walked into the living room to see his uncle sitting in a chair reading the paper.  
  
"Excuse me...Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
Lowering his paper, Uncle Vernon glared over at Harry as if he had an infectious disease. "What do you want boy?" he demanded, a heavy scowl forming on his face.  
  
Harry looked at his uncle as she shuffled his feet. "Uh, well. I got an ow...a letter from a friend from my school, and he wanted to know if I could stay with him for the last bit of the summer."  
  
Uncle Vernon looked at Harry as if to say `why are you bugging me?'. "And what does that have to do with me?" he snapped, his face going redder than usual.  
  
"Well...I was just asking for permission." Harry replied looking his uncle in the eye, almost begging him to let Harry go.  
  
Uncle Vernon sat there watching Harry. Many different ideas were running through his head. Two of them being that he could say no, and they would be stuck with the boy all summer, or he could say yes, and they would be rid of the boy and have at least somewhat of a good summer. Being who he was, Uncle Vernon preferred the latter of the two. He looked at Harry, a rather smug look on his face. "Fine. You can go. but I'm warning you..."  
  
"I know, I know. Nothing having to do with the `M' word." Harry said, an exasperated tone in his voice. He then remembered the owl he had gotten from Ron the other day. Harry knew it was a long shot, but he took the chance anyway. "Do you think you could give me a lift to London?" he asked, "Please."  
  
Uncle Vernon looked at Harry as if he were insane and snorted. "Why would I give you a ride to London? Are you crazy boy." he said, then went back to his newspaper.  
  
"My friend said that he'd meet me in London two Saturdays from now. It's the only way you'll be able to get rid of me like you wanted." Harry said watching his uncle slowly lower the paper.  
  
Uncle Vernon glared up at Harry. He knew the but was right. If he didn't take Harry to London they would be stuck with him the rest of the summer. "Fine. I'll drive you to London to meet your friend." Uncle Vernon scowled as he looked at Harry. "I'm warning you though boy, the only reason I'm going along with this rubbish is because your aunt and I are meeting people in London that weekend. Now get out of my face." Uncle Vernon then went back to his paper.  
  
"Thank you Uncle Vernon." Harry said politely, to get on his uncles nerves, and then ran out and up to his room.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning Harry awoke to a very loud rumbling outside. Putting on his glasses, he went to his bedroom window to see a huge moving van at the old Loxley house. Two huge looking moving guys got out and opened the back.  
  
"Vernon...Dudley, wake up. The moving van is at the Loxley's. That girl is here." Aunt Petunia's voice screeched from the bottom of the stairs. A moment later there was a thumping sound, then Uncle Vernon and Dudley came running out of their rooms and down the stairs. They weren't going to meet the girl yet, they were just watching her from the front window.  
  
As Harry watched from his room he saw the movers sitting in the back of the open truck. Every once in a while one would look at his watch and muttered something to the other guy. It was obvious the girl was late.  
  
About half an hour later a loud revving noise came from somewhere down the street. A moment later a very flashy looking care came driving around the corner. As it came closer, Harry saw that it was a ruby red Porsche convertible. ( "Now that is a car." Uncle Vernon cried.)  
  
The car came to a stop and out stepped a girl. She was rather tall, with the long blonde hair that Aunt Petunia had told them about from Mrs. Loxley's story. She walked over to the movers as they stood up. They talked for a few moments before she ran up the walk and unlocked the door, telling the movers where to put everything.  
  
About an hour later a second, smaller moving van arrived and started unloading. Harry listened to head that his aunt, uncle and cousin had gone back to their normal activities. Harry though continued watching his new neighbour. He watched as her long, blonde braid swished behind her as she ran around.   
  
"Hey Dannie." A voice called.  
  
Harry hadn't even noticed the black car drive up in front of the house. He watched as Dannie turned around, a big smile plastered on her face. She ran to the black car as a small woman with black hair climbed out. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun. Dannie gave the woman a small hug. They talked a mew minutes before the woman handed Dannie a small box then left. The moving vans left soon after.  
  
Harry watched as Dannie stood on her front lawn alone. She then turned and faced number four. A sad, almost longing look was on her face as she stared at the house. Harry stared back at her as a slight tingling feeling coursed through his scar above his right eye brow. He felt as though he knew her from somewhere.  
  
He watches as Dannie turned and slowly walked back towards her house. He saw her take one last, longing look towards number four then close the door. Harry's scar continued to tingle.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[Well...there's chapter 2. Well...who is this mysterious neighbour? And why does Harry feel like he knows her? I bet your wondering if she's my character. Well...you'll see. I'm really hoping to get some reviews. *nudge nudge...wink wink*] 


	3. On to Diagon Alley

[A.N~ I do not own Harry Potter. He and anything to do with him belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However...I do own one character in this story...two actually. Dannie and the little dream girl. They are MINE!!! Don't take them. Well...here's the next chapter. There are no changes in this one though.]   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter And the Song of the Mermaid  
  
Harry had sent an owl to Ron saying that his uncle would drive him to London over a week ago, but got nothing back. Finally, the Thursday before Harry's trip to London, Pigwidgeon arrived with a message back.  
  
Dear Harry, Thanks for the message. Dad and I will meet you at a coffee shop a little ways away from the Leaky Cauldron, so as not to give it's secrecy away to the muggles. I hope you got my birthday present for you. I saw Hermione in Diagon Alley so we got them together. See you in four days, you friend, Ron.  
  
When Harry finished reading the note he looked to see Pig fluttering and twittering around Hedwig's cage, which contained a sleeping Hedwig.  
  
"C'mere Pig." he said as he wrote a note back to Ron and strapped it to the tiny owls leg. Walking over to the window he let Pig fly. As he started to turn he saw something streak down to Dannie's house. It was like a white blur. Harry continued watching the house. A few minutes later a large, white owl flew out of the window. For a second he thought it was Hedwig, but when he realized it was a barn owl. It was then he noticed the letter strapped to the leg. Utterly confused, Harry went to bed happy to be leaving for Ron's in a few days.  
  
***  
  
"Come on boy, wake up." Aunt Petunia's voice screeched as she rapped on Harry's bedroom door the morning he was to go to London. "Get your lazy backside out of bed." Her footsteps were heard thumping down the stairs.  
  
Harry groaned as he reached over to his night stand for his glasses. As he got up and walked over to his dresser, he passed his window. He looked out over at Dannie's house. Harry noticed a strangely familiar cat sitting on her door step. A moment later, Dannie opened the door and let the cat in, a big smile on her face. It was the third time he had seen this. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry turned away and got dressed.  
  
The moment Uncle Vernon turned on the street, Harry saw the Leaky Cauldron. Just down from that he saw the small coffee shop where he was to meet the Weasley's. As they neared, Harry immediately recognized Mr. Weasley. Harry'd recognize that red hair anywhere.  
  
"Right here uncle Vernon." Harry said as they pulled up to the coffee shop.  
  
Uncle Vernon pulled to an immediate stop right in front of the coffee shop. As quickly as he could he jumped out of the car and unloaded Harry's trunk onto the street.  
  
"Hello Harry." Came Mr. Weasley's cheerful greeting as he gave Harry a hug. "Ron and the boys are already inside, I came out to meet you."  
  
Uncle Vernon was silent as he dumped the last of Harry's stuff on the street. The moment he finished he bolted to the drivers seat and took off as fast as he could.  
  
"Good bye to you too." Harry muttered as he and Mr. Weasley hauled his stuff to the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Hello Harry," Tom called over to Harry from behind the counter, "How you been?"  
  
"Great Tom." Harry called back as he waved, he and Mr. Weasley lugging Harry's trunk up to his room with Ron.  
  
"We're going to be staying here for a week so you all can get your things for school early. Then we'll head back to the Burrow for the rest of the summer." Mr. Weasley explained before a shout was heard from down the hall.  
  
"HARRY!" Ron's voice called. He, Fred, and George ran like mad down the hall towards Harry. Right before they reached him, Ron tripped and he, Fred, and George toppled into a heap on top of Harry.  
  
"ARGH." came Harry's surprised cry before he, Ron, Fred, and George burst into laughter. Their heads snapped up at a small giggle.  
  
"Boys are so immature." Ginny said, looking down at the four of them, an impish grin on her face.  
  
"Hey Ginny." Harry said with a smile, causing Ginny to blush. She then turned and scurried away.  
  
"And she says we're immature." Ron muttered as he helped Harry up. "You say two words to her and she turns into a tomato."  
  
"Come now boys, we have to get young Harry's stuff to his room."  
  
***  
  
Harry looked at his list of school supplies that he needed. He had gone to Gringotts a few days before to get his money. He now had half the things he needed. Quills, ink, parchment, new robes, one of them which was a formal robe for a dance. ("I am not going to a bloody dance." Ron protested) Now all he, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny needed were their books.  
  
When they all walked into Flourish and Bitts, they saw a young girl with frizzy brown hair.  
  
"Hermione!" Ginny cried, running to give Hermione a hug.  
  
"Hey guys." Hermione said as the others walked over to her.  
  
As they all looked at their list of books, Harry noticed the name of one on particular. "`Perfect Prophecies From the Past by Pablo Pruters'. What's this book for? Prophecies have nothing to do with any of our classes...unless it's for our Divination class." Harry said with a shudder.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and looked over at him. "You obviously didn't read the whole letter from Professor McGonagall then." she said, emphasizing the word `whole'. "This year is having a few little changes. We're getting a new class in the second half of the year, and we're automatically signed up for it. The new class is called...`Ancient Prophecies'." Hermione said as she looked at the letter.  
  
Harry shrugged as he looked for his books.  
  
"So how come they didn't tell you about the new class last year when you chose your classes?" Ginny asked as she got a book for her potions class. "I mean, it's rather unprofessional for them not to tell you what classes you have."  
  
"It was a last minute decision the school made. So to fit it in, fourth years this year only have `Muggle Studies' for the first have of the year, and the new class for the second half." Hermione said as she grabbed a couple books.  
  
When the kids got back to the Leaky Cauldron they were completely tired. After dumping their books on their beds, they went down to the tavern for a mug of Butterbeer.  
  
"My parents should be here soon to pick me up." Hermione aid as she looked at her watch. "We're going to visit my cousin in Scotland for a week before I have to go back to school."  
  
"I wish you could come back to stay with us." Ginny sighed as she looked at her mug. "It's no fun bring the only girl in a house full of boys."   
  
Hermione smiled sympathetically at her and hugged her. "Don't worry Ginny. It's not that bad." she said.  
  
"Yeah, besides," George said with a small smirk on his face as he nudged Harry with his elbow, "you got ol' Harry here to keep you company."  
  
Ginny blushed profusely as she tried to ignore George's comment. As did Harry as he gave George a swift kick in the shins.  
  
"Ow...only joking, only joking." George cried as Fred laughed.  
  
About an hour later the Grangers arrived for Hermione.  
  
" See you guys in a few weeks." she called as she left with her bundles.  
  
The Weasley children and Harry were left in silence as they sipped their butterbeer. When they were finished, they went to their rooms and to bed.  
  
" Hey Ron...you awake?" Harry called across the room an hour later.  
  
"No. I'm sound asleep dreaming that I live in a house made of chocolate frogs. Why?" Ron answered. He looked over to see Harry shaking his head in the dark.  
  
"I was wondering about this new class. What do you think it's going to be like?" Harry asked as he stared at the ceiling.   
  
"Don't know, don't care. We'll deal with it when we get to school. Now go to sleep Harry."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Good night Harry." Ron said in a tired voice.  
  
"'Night." Harry replied and went to sleep.  
  
******  
  
Harry heard a tiny giggle from somewhere in the darkness. He looked around but saw nothing.  
  
"Hello?" he called, his voice echoing. "Is someone there?"  
  
Another giggle was heard and the sound of someone running.  
  
"Lumos." a voice whispered.  
  
There was a small flicker and Harry saw an orb of light appear at the end of a wand. He followed the wand to the hand that was holding it. It was a small hand, obviously belonging to a child. He followed the arm up to the smiling face of a young girl. Harry recognized her immediately. The green eyes, the matted blonde hair. He knew this little girl.  
  
"Hullo dear cousin." the little girl said, a small glimmer in her eyes. She laughed at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "Don't look so surprised. I know you suspected it the first time you saw me."  
  
Harry nodded. He had suspected it. "I have seen you." he said, "I remembered the room."  
  
"Yes, the room." the little girl said sadly as the light from her wand grew brighter. It illuminated the space around them to show the room from his dream. The room that was now Dudley's room. "That was my room." the little girl whispered. "I loved my room."  
  
"What's your name?" Harry asked.  
  
The little girl looked up at him, confusion clouded her green eyes. "Don't you know my name Harry? I'm your cousin, surely you must know my name." she said.  
  
Harry shook his head. "I didn't even know you existed until a few weeks ago. I found your birth certificate in my uncle and aunts bedroom. At first I thought it was Dudley's, but then I saw the birth date and knew it couldn't be his."  
  
"Surely they must talk about me. There has to be pictures."  
  
Harry shook his head again. "After they abandoned you, they did a very good job of covering up, making sure no one knew they had you."  
  
Anger flashed through the little girls eyes as she stood defiantly against Harry. "They did not abandon me. My mummy and daddy love me. It's not their fault they lost me. There was a big crowd...and I wandered away. They love me...they really do."  
  
Her face turned from anger and defiance to one of sorrow and uncertainty. Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes darkened. Her thin, pink lips turned into a small frown.  
  
Harry knelt down to give her a hug. He felt her shoulders tremble as she started to cry.  
  
"They don't love me, do they." she whispered in Harry's ear.  
  
"I'm sorry." Harry whispered.  
  
"It's because I made my crayons float and turned my kitty cat blue, isn't it."  
  
"They don't like me either." Harry answered again. "They never did. They just don't understand people like us."  
  
"No, they don't. They left me all alone because they don't understand me. Even if I had stayed, they still wouldn't have loved me."  
  
The light turned dim, and the room faded away.  
  
"I have come to accept the fact that they pretend I don't exist." The little girl said, though she no longer talked like a little girl. Harry saw her eyes had aged.  
  
"Over the years I pretended that someday I would go back, and they would welcome me with open, loving arms." she continues, the light still fading into darkness. "But I was fooling myself. I could pass them in the street, and they wouldn't even look at me. They wouldn't know why I was. I am truly alone in this world, with no one left to love me. Except you...dear cousin."  
  
Harry smiled and nodded. "Yes. I love you. We're family. And we must stick together."  
  
"Yes. Together." the girls voice whispered, fading away.  
  
"What's your name?" Harry asked again, but was answered with a giggle.  
  
"When the time comes, you will know. For you must deliver me from evil. For now though, I am D. Just D."  
  
Her voice completely gone, Harry stood alone in the darkness. In silence.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[ Well...there's chapter 3. I hope you all liked. Not much to say about it...review please.] 


	4. Train ride to Hogwarts

[ AN- To all, here is the changed and revised chapter 4. There's only a small change though. Nothing big. Hope you like. I don't own Harry Potter.]  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter and the Song of the Mermaid  
  
Chapter 4 - Train ride to Hogwarts  
  
Harry stood before the barrier to platform 9¾ with the Weasley's. When he was sure no one was looking, he pushed his cart through. There was darkness for a moment and a blast of air. Harry then found himself on platform 9¾ where the red train to Hogwarts was waiting.  
  
The last few weeks of summer at the burrow went by quickly. Harry hadn't had any dreams of his mysterious cousin since that night at the Leaky Cauldron. In fact, he had almost completely forgotten about her until he found the stolen birth certificate in his trunk.  
  
Now, here he was loading his trunk on the train. With one last push, he hefted it onto the car and turned to see Hermione come through the barrier with her parents.  
  
"Hey guys." she said before bidding her parents farewell and giving Ginny a big hug. Moments later her trunks was on the train.  
  
Just then, the whistle on the train sounded. Children bid farewell to their parents.  
  
"You lot behave yourselves this year." Mrs. Weasley called to them, particularly Fred and George. "I don't want to hear of you two getting into any trouble." Her voice faded as the train pulled away from the station and headed north.  
  
Fred and George found their friend Lee Jordan and said good bye to the group.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny made their way to an empty car and sat down.  
  
"I saw Malfoy glaring at us as we went through that last car." Ginny said in a whisper.  
  
Harry smiled sympathetically at her. "Just ignore him Ginny. Worrying about it will only give him reason to bother you."  
  
Ginny smiled a thanks at him then turned to watch the scenery fly past out the window.  
  
Ron, Harry, and Hermione were having their own conversation when the candy cart came.  
  
"Anything off the trolley dears?" the old lady asked.  
  
Each kid pulled out some pocket change and pooled together for a dozen chocolate frogs.  
  
"Hey, they have new packaging." Ron exclaimed as he tore his box open.  
  
"New series of cards dearie. Many new witches and wizards are starting to make themselves known." the old lady said before she continued down the train.  
  
Shoving a chocolate frog in his mouth, Harry took out the wizard card inside. Merlin.  
  
"Hey, look." Hermione exclaimed as she held out a card for them to see. "Oliver Wood has got a card."  
  
Harry looked to see the familiar face of Oliver Wood smiling up at them.  
  
"Why would Wood be on a chocolate from card?" Ron wondered.  
  
"I liked Wood. He was really cute." Ginny said as she looked at the card. This caused Ron and Harry to shake their heads.  
  
"You're nutty Ginny." Harry said as he opened has last chocolate from. Stuffing the frog in his mouth he grabbed the wizard card. When he saw it, he nearly choked on his chocolate frog.  
  
"Careful Harry, don't want to get killed by an evil frog." Ron said with a smirk before he grabbed Harry's card. "Here's a cute one."  
  
"Who is it?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I know this girl." Harry replied after he recovered from his sudden surprise and snatched the card back. "She moved into the house across the street from the Dursley's weeks ago. I knew there was something about her. Something...non-muggleish."  
  
"Let me see..." Hermione said. When Harry handed the card to her, she flipped it over and read the back.  
  
`Danniella Dumbledore, daughter of the great Albus Dumbledore. She is known in the muggle world as Dannie Deauveaux, an extremely talented ballet dancer. Considered one of the most powerful witches in the known magic world, she was still very young when her magic made it's presence known and could out do some of the most skilled wizards with her awesome ability. She further proved her strength in magic after winning the adults advanced magic Olympics at the tender age of ten, beating some of the more profound witches and wizards in the world which included: April Maris, Leanne Drisdane, Jordus Krane, and Julie Seaton.  
  
She graduated from Hogwarts early, being only in her fifth year.   
  
She showed great promise in the world of magic and now,   
  
six years after her early graduation, at the age of twenty-one,   
  
she returns to Hogwarts as the newest addition to the teaching staff...'  
  
Hermione stopped there and looked at the others. "She seems like the real deal." she said.  
  
"Is there anything else?" Ginny asked. Ron and Harry looked at Hermione expectantly, wishing to know the same answer.  
  
Hermione looked back down at the card. "It says that she was a Gryffindor, and that she was seeker for the Gryffindor quidditch team till she graduated in her fifth year...the year before we three came."  
  
A look of shock and surprise came over Harry's face. She has been the Gryffindor seeker?  
  
"I guess we know now why Gryffindor didn't have a seeker the year we came, and why Harry was able to snatch the snitch." Ron said with a grin and a poor attempt at a joke.  
  
"Sorry Ron, but I think you should leave the jokes to Fred and George." Ginny said with a sympathetic smile when no one laughed.  
  
Ron stuck his tongue out at Ginny before stuffing his last chocolate frog in his mouth. Ginny stuck hers back at him.  
  
"Very mature you two." Hermione said with a raised eyebrow before she scanned the card again. Her eyes bugged out and her jaw dropped. "Holy cow."  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked before taking his card back.  
  
"Her, the girl in the card...she's the new ancient prophecies teacher." Hermione said.  
  
Harry looked at the card. It was all starting to make sense to him now. How "Dannie" had heard about the house so fast and was able to pay for it in the one meeting. The owls he saw flying to her house every few nights with letters attached to their legs...and he'd bet all his galleons, sickles, and knuts that the cat he had seen her let into her house a couple times was none other than Professor McGonagall. And it was all so ironic it made a smile creep up on his face.  
  
"What's so funny Harry?" Ron asked. "You look like you've got something up your sleeve."  
  
Harry shook his head. "It's all so ironic. A few night after she moved in across the street, my aunt invited her over for dinner. I wasn't allowed down of course so I never met her, but she was all my aunt and uncle could talk about over the next few days. They think she's great. I think that Dudley might have a slight crush on her as well because he's gone outside to play whenever she was out. It's funny because they think she's so wonderful, but she's one of the things they despise the most."  
  
Small smirks started to make their way across Ron and Hermione's faces. They had met Harry's aunt and uncles, they know how closed minded the Dursley's could be. The sense of Irony made them laugh as well.  
  
The train ride rook the whole day and went by slowly. The four of them played so much eye spy, exploding snap, and wizards chess, they didn't want to hear the names of those games for at least a few months. Harry and Hermione had tired in vain to teach Ron and Ginny how to play rock, paper, scissors, but the two just didn't seem to grasp the concept.  
  
"I still don't get how the paper can defeat the rock. It just doesn't make any sense." Ron said as he scratched his head.  
  
"Ron, give it up. We stopped playing twenty minutes ago." Harry said with an exasperated tone.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I just can't figure it out." Ron cried.  
  
"Take a chill pill Ron. It doesn't matter." Hermione said as she stared at the passing scenery. "Look at the sunset guys. It's to pretty."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked out the window to see hues of red, orange, yellow, pink, and lavender.  
  
"Wow...it's pretty." Ginny breathed as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.  
  
"Girls." Ron and Harry muttered as they rolled their eyes.  
  
"We should be arriving at Hogwarts soon then." Harry said as he started to put the stuff she had gotten out back into the little bag he had brought with him. Last, he picked up the chocolate frog card of Danniella Dumbledore. When he turned it over to look at the picture, Danniella smiles up at him and winked. Harry smiled back as he put the card away.  
  
The four friends talked for the last of the trip. Harry was excited about quidditch, Hermione about the new class, Ron about seeing Hagrid, and Ginny about seeing her friends.  
  
Finally, as Ginny started to doze, the train came to a stop.  
  
"About time." she mumbles as she sleepily stood up.  
  
"Careful there Gin." Harry said when Ginny started to teeter a little. He grabbed her arm and helped her gain her balance. "Don't want to fall."  
  
Hermione held back a snicker as Ron looked at Harry and his sister with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." Ginny mumbled as she let out a yawn.  
  
A few minutes later they were all out on the train platform. The night air was cool and refreshing and helped wake Ginny up.  
  
After saying a quick hello to Hagrid, the four of them made their way to a carriage with two other students, and they were soon on their way to Hogwarts.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[ Well...there's chapter 4. Finally...the truth about Dannie Deauveaux is out. Ha ha...she's Dumbledore's daughter. Well...we'll find out more secrets about Dannie(lla) in the following chapters, and some of those secrets just might surprise you. Well, RnR please.] 


	5. Dinner and Introductions

[AN- I am REALLY hating my computer right now peeps. For the past week my Microsoft works won't let me open files. So that means I wasn't able to edit my stuff for a while. Don't worry though...I've found a way around it. ^_^   
  
Anywho...here is the edited chapter 5. There's a lot of changes in this one. Kaelli Karali...if you're still reading...let's see if you can point them out...lol. Anywho...read on.]  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter and the Song of the Mermaid.  
  
Chapter 5- Dinner and Introductions  
  
As all the students filed into the great hall, Harry scanned the teachers table. At the very centre was Dumbledore.  
  
"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered from behind Harry.  
  
"I'm looking for her..." Harry trailed off as he noticed something strange about the seating arrangement. The spot to Dumbledore's right, where McGonagall sat, was set up differently. The spot to his left, where professor Flitwick sat was empty, and Flitwick was down one seat.  
  
`That's odd.' Harry thought as he sat down with Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Where is she?" Ron asked as he too scanned the teachers table.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. But I have a feeling..."  
  
As Harry said that he hearts soft click as a door off to the side opened and shut. He then saw her. Danniella Dumbledore, also known to him as Dannie Deauveaux. She looked different from the last time Harry had seen her though.  
  
As she walked, her long, blonde braid swung loosely behind her. She wore a short, black, one piece skirt that came down to a few inches above her knee. Over her shoulders hung a deep purple cloak with a silver clasp at her throat. It was hooded, and fur trimmed, and billowed out behind her as she walked. She smiled and waved to some of the students who were excited at the thought of a new teacher that wasn't teaching the "cursed" DADA class. Harry noticed that, like Dumbledore, she wore half moon spectacles in front of her happily sparkling green eyes.  
  
"There she is." Ron whispered as he watched Danniella walk up to the teachers table.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at the two boys. 'Obviously thinking with the wrong heads.' she thought as she also watched Danniella. `There's something strange about her.'   
  
Hermione saw a movement out of the corner of her eyes, a waving, as if someone were trying to catch her attention. She scanned down the table, and a sudden smile spread across her face.  
  
Harry and Ron watched as Danniella went up the platform to the teachers table. As she neared, Dumbledore stood up. Smiling, he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They whispered a few words before Danniella sat down in the chair to his right.  
  
`So that's why the seating is different,' Harry thought, `since Danniella is Dumbledore's daughter, she gets to sit next to him.'  
  
"Harry..." Hermione said as she tugged at Harry's sleeve, "Harry, look over there, at the end of the teachers table. Look who's sitting there."  
  
"What are you talking about..." Harry started as his eyes left Danniella and scanned down to the end of the teachers table. His jaw dropped. "Is that...?"  
  
"It's Wood. Look guys...Wood's up at the teachers table." Harry heard Fred Weasley shout.  
  
"Hey Wood, what are you doing up there?" George Weasley yelled up to Wood.  
  
Oliver just smiled and shook his head, signalling them to wait and see.  
  
"What's he doing here?" Ginny whispered, "He graduated three years ago, didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, he did." Ron answered, "But obviously he's back as a teacher or something if he's up at the teachers table."  
  
At that moment Professor McGonagall walked in with the new first years. The whole room watched as, one by one, the scared children were sorted into their houses. The first, a young girl named Raven with hair as black as ebony, was placed into Gryffindor. The Gryffindor table burst into cheer as Raven blushed and sat next to Harry.  
  
"Welcome to Gryffindor." he said with a smile.  
  
Raven blushed and smiled a little. "Thank you." she whispered.  
  
Once all the first years were sorted, Dumbledore stood. The room fell into silence as all eyes were cast to him.  
  
"Firstly, I would like to welcome the new students to their first year at Hogwarts, and the second to seventh years to you another year. Second, before we start our feast, I would like to make a few announcements.  
  
As the students in fourth year and up have noticed, a new subject has automatically been added to your time tables for the second have of the school year, while muggle studies will only be taken for the first have of the year. This was, indeed, a last minute decision made by the school council. As well as a new class, you will be getting a new teacher."  
  
There was a soft murmur in the room before Dumbledore held his hand up for silence.  
  
"It is with great pride and pleasure that I introduce to you my daughter, Danniella Dumbledore."  
  
An eruption of hoots, hollers, whistles, and applause came from the excited students. Harry saw that even Wood was slapping extra hard, a huge smile plastered on his face.  
  
Danniella smiled and blushed as red as a tomato. She shook her head when Dumbledore tried to get her to stand up and say something. After a few moments of prodding, she finally gave in and stood up. The moment she did, the room fell silent.  
  
"Hello everyone. As you were told, my name is Danniella Dumbledore. Though I ask with the utmost distress that you do not call me Professor Dumbledore, because if you do there will only a mass of confusion as to which one of us you are talking about."  
  
Laughter filled the room at that statement. When Danniella raised her hand the room fell silent.  
  
"In fact, I would prefer if you didn't call me professor anything. Just call me Danniella or Dannie, whatever you feel comfortable with.  
  
As my father has stated, fourth to seventh years are receiving a new class in the second have of the year, which I will be teaching. For the first have of the year, though, I'll be going around visiting classes and seeing how things work. After all, the way I see things now as a teacher will probably be very different from when I was a student here."  
  
There was a little more laughter from the room.  
  
"Anyway," Danniella continued, "I am very happy to be back. I've missed this school and it's teachers very much."  
  
There was another eruption of applause as Danniella sat down, her face immensely red.  
  
Dumbledore smiled and stood up again to speak.  
  
"As well as receiving Danniella as a new teacher, I have the pleasure of announcing that another of Hogwarts past students has joined our teaching staff. Oliver Wood, who was the Gryffindor quidditch captain, has come back to Hogwarts as the new quidditch coach."  
  
The whole room once again broke out into cheers.  
  
"Yeah, Wood's back." one of the Gryffindor called.  
  
Oliver smiled as he stood up, the whole Gryffindor table chanting his name.  
  
"All I can say is that it's great to be back."  
  
As Oliver talked, Harry looked back at Danniella. She had just finished whispering something to Dumbledore and was looking down the table at Oliver. A look of surprise mixed with something that looked like a cross of sadness and longing was upon her face. She smiled a little, as if she were remembering something. A moment later her eyebrows furrowed and she looked out over the crowd. For a brief second her eyes met Harry's, then went back to Oliver.  
  
Harry felt his scar tingle again. It was the second time it had happened while he was watching Danniella.  
  
"I'm sure that this years quidditch tournaments will be the best we've had yet." Oliver finished, and once again there was clapping and cheering. Oliver smiled and sat down as Dumbledore stood up again.  
  
"Welcome back Oliver and Danniella. I have two last announcements to make.   
  
"As you all know, the school has once again lost it's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher from last year."  
  
Everyone let out a cheer before Dumbledore continued.  
  
"So I would like to introduce you to your, yet again, new Dark Arts teacher, Professor Grey." he said, indicating for Professor Grey, who was a young witch. She had jet black hair that had a single, solitary strand of pure white. Her face was angled, yet graceful. She wore robes much like Danniella's.  
  
"As for the last announcement," Dumbledore continued, "my dear daughter should be making this one, but as you can see she is not good with making speeches. You may not know, and some may not, but my dear Danniella loves to sing. For those who are interested, Hogwarts first choir will be starting, which Danniella will be running."  
  
There was a murmur among the tables. It was mainly among the girls, but there were also a few boys who seemed interested. When the murmur ceased, attention turned back to Dumbledore.  
  
"You will find notices on the bulletin boards in your common rooms as to when the choir shall start."  
  
With his speech done, Dumbledore announced the start of the feast, and with a clap of his hands, each table was laden with food.  
  
"Wow," Raven breathed as she stared wide eyed at the table. "I've never seen so much food in my whole life."  
  
Harry laughed when he heard her say that. "That was my reaction my first year as well. What was your name again?"  
  
Raven blushed a little. "My name is Raven. Raven Greer." she said as she shook Harry's out stretched hand.  
  
"I'm Harry Potter."  
  
Raven's eyes went wide. "You're Harry Potter?" she asked. She let out a little squeak when he nodded. "My grandmother and uncle told me all about you."  
  
"Really now. What exactly did they say?"  
  
A sad look came over Raven's face. "They said your parents were killed by you-know-who. He had tried to kill my parents the same night. They got away, but my older brother died while trying to distract him. This was before I was born, so I never got to meet him."  
  
"That's so sad." Harry said. "At least your parents are ok."  
  
Raven shook her head. "They were killed by Death eaters when I was still a baby. My grandmother had taken me for a visit when it happened."  
  
"So you don't remember your parents either." Harry said sadly.  
  
"My parents were both muggles, so I have no idea why you-know-who wanted them. There was some magic on my dads side though." Raven said, then looked at Harry and smiled. "I can't wait to tell Sahara that I got to meet you, Harry Potter. She'll be so jealous."  
  
"Who's Sahara?" Harry asked.  
  
"Sahara's my older cousin." Raven said as she buttered a bun. "My uncles daughter. My aunt died in child birth. She was a muggle, but my uncle has magic in him. It never went to Sahara though. She grew up in the magic world and knows all the stories, but she never got to come to Hogwarts. I'd say she's a year younger than you, and boy is she obsessed. I'm going to have to send her an owl telling her about this. She'll go completely green. Hey, how about I get a shot taken with you. Would you mind? I'm always trying to find ways to bug Sahara. We're really close...almost like sisters. I would love to see the look on her face when she finds out I got to meet you. This is absolutely amazing."  
  
Harry watched in awe as Raven continued to talk. She rambled on for almost ten minutes before Hermione cut in saying she needed to talk to Harry for a minute.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Ok." Raven said, then turned to the nearest person, who just happened to be Neville Longbottom, and continued chatting.  
  
"Thanks for the save `Mione." Harry said with a sigh. "She probably would have gone on all night."  
  
Hermione laughed a little when he said that. "I was thinking the same thing." she said, then turned serious. "I don't know why, but I think there's something strange about Dumbledore's daughter. I don't like her."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Why? She looks like a nice person. Everyone seems to like her."  
  
"That's what I told her." came Ron's voice from the other side of Hermione. "But she won't listen to me."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I told both of you already, I don't know why. It's just a feeling I've got."  
  
Harry just shook his head and looked up at the teachers table. He had no idea what Hermione was talking about. As far as he was concerned, Danniella looked really nice. He was certainly looking forward to her class.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[Well, there's chapter 5. I hope you all liked. We seem to be learning more about Danniella with each chapter ^^. We also have an appearance of another of my characters, Raven. I'm going to make her a permanent character in the fic. She's even gonna be in the sequel. In a way I sort of see her looking up to Harry sort of like a brother...I dunno. Review and tell me what you think.] 


	6. Into the Swing of Things

[AN- This chapter is the edited chapter 6...as we speak I'm writing out chapter 7...and I'm incredibly stuck. So it might take a little longer for me to get chapters 7 and on out. Just letting y'all know that. I don't own HP.  
  
Anywho...here's chapter 6. Hope you review]   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry Potter and the Song of the Mermaid  
  
Chapter 6- Into the Swing of Things  
  
The year started off pretty good, but as the weeks passed, it was obvious things were going to be harder. At least where Snape was concerned. His hatred for Harry seemed to grow more and more with each summer. It was the first week in October, and he had already threatened Harry with suspension six times, and expulsion three.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at lunch after potions class one day after the latest incident.  
  
"What on earth is his problem?" Hermione fumed as she threw her bags down and grabbed a sandwich. "All you did was knock over your ink bottle. And it was easy to clean as well."  
  
"Hermione, this is Snape we're talking about. He'll find any reason what so ever to try and get Harry into trouble." Ron said.  
  
Hermione just grumbled as she sat up and ate her sandwich. She looked up as Danniella was approaching them. "Look who's coming." she muttered.  
  
Harry and Ron turned just as the new teacher reached them. Both gulped as she smiled.  
  
"Hi." she said, "I've talked to most of the students but I haven't met you three yet. Do you mind if I sit with you?"  
  
"Not at all." Harry and Ron said in unison as they made room for Danniella to sit.  
  
"Well, I'm Danniella. Nice to meet you." she said with a smile once she was comfortably seated.  
  
"I'm Hermione." Hermione said flatly.  
  
"Don't mind her. She's in a foul mood." Ron said, causing Hermione to roll her eyes. "My name's Ron Weasley."  
  
Danniella's eyes widened. "I thought you were a Weasley. Must be rather aggravating having Fred and George as brothers. I've seen first hand the trouble they can get into. Then again, I was with them on a few of their pranks." she said with a laugh.  
  
"You know Fred and George?" Ron asked, surprise written all over his face.  
  
Danniella laughed. "Of course I know those two. They were only in their second year when I graduated early. I played quidditch with them. I was the seeker."  
  
"Yeah. We know." Hermione said.  
  
"Harry's the seeker now. We came the year after you graduated." Ron said.  
  
Danniella turned her gaze to Harry. "So you're Harry Potter." she said with a smile. "You've become a seeker, just like your father."  
  
Harry nodded with a smile. "All thanks to you, in a way."  
  
"I guess you're right." Danniella said with a laugh. "If I hadn't left early, I still would have been the seeker when you came. Are you looking forward to this years games?"  
  
Harry nodded excitedly. "Yes! And I'm really glad that Wood is back. Even if he's only the coach. It wouldn't have been the same with out him."  
  
Danniella smiled, and Ron and Harry saw something in her emerald eyes change.  
  
"Yes...Oliver is a very great player. We made an awesome team. It's very good to see him again." she said.  
  
As if on cue, they saw Wood walk into the great hall and make his way up to the teachers table. They saw his eyes flicker their way and he seemed to falter a moment, but he continued walking. A small smile was on his face as he waved. Harry and Ron smiled and waved back.  
  
There was silence a moment as they watched him sit down.  
  
Danniella looked over at Hermione, who sat scowling.   
  
"Why are you in such a bad mood Hermione?" Danniella asked.  
  
Hermione remained silent and just shrugged her shoulders as she stared at the table.  
  
"Come on," Danniella said with a smile, "you can tell Dannie. Maybe I can help."  
  
Hermione just snorted before grabbing her things and leaving.  
  
"Snape's being a...uh, well...let's just say he likes giving Harry a hard time and it's starting to bug her." Ron said.  
  
Danniella let out a peel of laughter when Ron said that. "No way I can help there. He positively hates Gryffindors. I was probably the only one he could actually stand. Aside from quidditch, I loved potions and got perfect marks for that class. Snape's not as bad as you think. You just have to tolerate him and know what he likes."  
  
Harry and Ron nodded when she said this.  
  
"If it's bugging Hermione so much and not you Harry, she must have strong feelings for you." Danniella said after a moment.  
  
When she said that, Harry spit out the pumpkin juice he was drinking. "What are you talking about?" he said when he recovered. "Hermione and I are just really good friends."  
  
Danniella looked at him a moment with a raised eyebrow. "You sure? Trust me Harry, I know a crush when I see one." she said, her eyes flickering to the teachers table a moment, then back to the two boys and smiled. "Anyway, I've got things I gotta do. I'll see you two later." she said before grinning at Harry and saying, "You can count on me being at every quidditch practice." And in the blink of an eye, she walked down to rows of tables and left the great hall, her robe billowing behind her.  
  
"Well, she's really nice." Ron said after a moment as he grabbed a sandwich. "Don't see what Hermione has against her."  
  
Harry silently nodded as he thought about what Danniella had said. Could Hermione really...  
  
"Nah." Harry muttered as he grabbed something to eat.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Harry was overly excited when quidditch had started. When he got to the pitch for the first practice, he grinned when he saw the whole of the team gathered around a smiling Wood. Everyone talked at once, and you couldn't help but feel hyped.  
  
"And here comes everyone's faaaaaaaaavorite seeker." Oliver called when he saw Harry approach.  
  
The two clasped hands before pulling into a small hug and patted each other on the back.  
  
"It's awesome that you're back. Quidditch just wouldn't be the same without you." Harry said.  
  
Oliver nodded with a grin then turned his attention to the rest of the team. "Now that I'm a coach, I'm going to have to push you guys..."  
  
"And girls." Alicia's voice ran out.  
  
"And girls." Oliver corrected, "I'm going to have to push you a lot harder than when I was captain."  
  
A small groan escaped some of the team (i.e.- Fred and George), but they all continued to listen.  
  
Oliver grinned and was about to say something when he looked up and his eyes widened slightly in surprise.  
  
Confused, the team turned to see Danniella standing just behind them.  
  
"Oh, don't mind me." she said with a smile, "I just came to watch the practice. There's no way you could keep me away."  
  
Oliver threw his head back and laughed, then smiled at her. "You're right. There never has been." he turned back to the team. "You lot may or may not know, Danniella was the seeker for the Gryffindor team before we found Mr. Potter. She herself was a wonderful player."  
  
Danniella blushed as she tossed her blonde braid over her shoulder. "Though nowhere near as good as the great Oliver Wood."  
  
This time it was Oliver's turn to blush, though all he could do was smile and shake his head.  
  
As the two talked, Harry looked back and forth between them. He raised his eyebrow when Oliver blushed. That was something he had never seen the former quidditch captain do.  
  
"Well, I came to watch the quidditch practice, but it seems I'm only being a distraction." Danniella said, bringing Oliver back to his senses. A moment later he told the team what they were to do and got them off.  
  
Harry flew over to Fred and George who were acting like idiots trying to knock each other off their brooms.  
  
"Guys," Harry said, causing the twins to stop. "that was strange. What would have caused Wood to blush like that?"  
  
Fred and George looked at each other, then at Harry and burst out laughing.  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Fred asked.  
  
Harry raised a confused eyebrow at them. "Know what?" he asked.  
  
George flew closer to Harry so no one could hear him. "Wood and Dannie used to be boyfriend and girlfriend. They officially started going out after they won their first quidditch game together. Wood was in his second year, Dannie was in her third."  
  
Harry's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Are you serious?" he asked as he looked down to see Wood and Danniella talking. He could sense the discomfort between them.  
  
"It's true." Fred said. "They were really close. Inseparable. They were so in love, everyone thought they would get married when they both graduated."  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked.  
  
The two twins shrugged their shoulders.  
  
"We don't know the whole story." George replied. "Dannie was very advanced in her magic, which could only be expected seeing as she's Dumbledore's daughter. The ministry gave her a chance to take some test. After she passed it with flying colours, they told her that she was able to graduate with the seventh years that year."  
  
"She was very happy." Fred said, "I mean, when you get a chance like this you can't help but take it, right? Anyway, poor Dannie suddenly realized what this meant. She'd have to leave Wood behind. She became very upset and distraught. You could tell that she was being torn apart. She almost completely stopped eating, she became very quiet, and you could tell that she cried herself to sleep every night. At breakfast her eyes would be all red and puffy, it was even affecting her quidditch. This had gone on for about a month, and Wood was becoming very worried."  
  
"Terrified even." George cut in before ducking as the quaffle went over his head. "When Fred and I would sneak out of the dorm late at night, we'd hear then in the common room. Wood would be pleading with her, asking what was wrong, but all she'd say was that nothing was wrong. I guess she couldn't take it anymore. It was the last quidditch game of the year. We were going up against Slytherin. Before the game started Dannie pulled Wood aside and she told him what was going on. I forgot everything she said..."  
  
"I remember." Fred piped up. "I was near them listening in. She told him that would be the last game she was going to be playing with him. When he asked why, she told him about the test, and how she was going to be graduating that year, that she wouldn't be coming back. Both she and Wood were on the verge of tears. That's when they broke it off. They'd play this last game together, a few days later she'd graduate, and then they went their separate ways. They never spoke nor saw each other again."  
  
"And Wood was so upset when they broke up." George added, "It was really cruddy of her to tell him what was happening right before the game. It was all he could think about. That's why Slytherin beat us so bad. Wood wasn't able to concentrate on keeping. That's why he totally focused on quidditch his last few years here. So he wouldn't be able to think about Dannie." he finished.  
  
"Do you think they still love each other?" Harry asked.  
  
"We know they still love each other." Fred said. "Wood still has a picture of them together at the fourth and fifth year valentines ball. When you love someone as much as they loved each other, well, you never stop loving that person."  
  
There was silence for a few moments before...  
  
"Harry, Fred, George." Oliver's voice yelled to them, as if he knew what they were talking about. "Get practicing or you'll have double laps."  
  
Without another word the three of them flew off to do their practice.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[Well, there's chapter 6. I hope you all liked. Now you know some of Dannie's history at Hogwarts. Seems there was a little romance in the air. Just to let you all know, I'm planning on doing a sequel/prequel in Dannie's and Wood's POV's. It's going to explain all about Dannie's past and her years at Hogwarts and how she and Oliver met and how they felt about each other. It's going to be called `Danniella and Oliver's Story'. But don't expect that for a LOOOOOOOOOONG time. I don't plan on writing that one till after I finished the sequel to HP: SotM. Yes, there is going to be a sequel to Harry Potter and the Song of the Mermaid. It's going to have Harry and his friends in their final year at Hogwarts, with some unexpected surprises. But that one's not going to come around till This one is finished. Sorry peeps...^^. Well...thas all for now. Review the chapter telling me how you liked it.] 


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